Safety cigarette ash tray



Feb. 15, 1955 J. M. MORITA SAFETY CIGARETTE ASH TRAY Filed June 5, 1953INVENTOR. J AM as H. Moarm ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent SAFETY CIGARETTE ASH TRAY James M. Morita,Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii Application June 5, 1953, Serial No.359,878

3 Claims. (Cl. 131-240) This invention relates to an ash tray for use bysmokers of cigarettes, and one of the objects of the invention is toprovide an ash tray with means for advancing the cigarette toward thepit of the ash tray, as the cigarette burns, so as to prevent a burningcigarette from falling out of the tray and burning furniture or startinga fire, this means being automatic in operation and responsive to theheat of the burning cigarette.

Another object of the invention is to provide a thermostatic elementwhich is directly exposed to the heat of the burning end of a cigarettewhen the cigarette is laid in a grooved rest or support on the ash tray,and which will expand in such manner that the cigarette is movedinwardly on the grooved rest, so that in no case will the cigarette fallby gravity alone out of the tray, to expose furniture to scorching orcombustible material to burning.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotatable wheel with ahelical thermostatic element, so arranged in a groove of the wheel, thatthe wheel will be caused to turn when a portion or a series of coils ofthe thermostatic element expands, and the expansion of the thermostaticelement will propel the cigarette inwardly to prevent the outer endportion thereof from dropping from the outer portion of the ash tray.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an ash tray with athermostatic element for propelling a burning cigarette inwardly of thetray, and a support for the element which will automatically restore thesame to its initial position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of an ash tray according tothe present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1illustrating the wheel at the start of its rotational travel;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 with thecigarette omitted; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the assembly of Figure 2, but showingthe wheel adjacent the terminating point of its rotational travel.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates an ash tray whichincludes an ash pit 2, and cigarette supporting rests 3, each of whichis formed with a longitudinal groove 4 in which a cigarette may beplaced. The groove 4 is slightly tilted from the outer end inwardly anddownwardly and has its longitudinal axis in the same plane as thecentral vertical plane of the wheel 10.

The wall 5 of the ash tray 1 is provided with a socket 6 adjacent eachof the rests 3, and in each of the sockets 6 is mounted a thermostaticcigarette propelling means 7. Since each of such means are identical,only one will be specifically described. The means 7 comprises a wheel10 which is freely rotatable about a horizontal axis or shaft 11, theshaft being supported in the walls of the socket 6. The wheel 10 isprovided with a groove 12 extending about its periphery, and in suchgroove rests a thermostatic helix 13, one end or the end 14 of the helixbeing anchored in the bottom of the socket 6, as clearly shown in Figure2. The other end or the end 15 of the helix 13 is secured to a lug 17,Figures 2 and 2,702,040 Patented Feb. 15, 1955 "ice 3, projecting fromthe base of the groove 12. The wheel 10 is provided with aneccentrically disposed weight 18 which is preferably positioned adjacentthe upper portion thereof, as shown in Figure 2. Supported in the groove4 of the rest 3 is a lighted cigarette 19, the lighted end facing towardand overlying the helix 13. Facing the socket 6 and secured to the wall5 of the tray 1 is a guard preferably in the form of an arcuate plate20.

In operation of the ash tray according to the present invention with thelighted cigarette 19 supported on the rest 3 of the ash tray, as shownin Figure 2, heat from the lighted end of the cigarette causes theadjacent portion of the helix 13 to expand and with such expansion thewheel 10 is rotated in a clock-wise direction against the action of theweight 18 for a portion of its travel, resulting in movement of thecigarette toward the ash pit 2 of the ash tray 1 in the direction of thearrow shown in the upper portion of Fig. 4. It is to be noted thatradial expansion of the helix 13 also takes place. However, the spacebetween the guard plate 20 and the outer periphery of the wheel 10 issufficient to permit the radial expansion without having the helixstrike the upper edge of the guard plate 20. This movement of thecigarette continues as long as there is a portion of the cigarette incontact with the helix. With the removal of the lighted cigarette fromengagement of the spring as by its falling into the ash pit 2, the helixcools and with such cooling the wheel is rotated in the reversedirection until the wheel is again at its starting position or that ofFigure 2. Of course, most of the ashes as they fall from the lighted endof the cigarette 19 are deflected by the guard plate 20 into the ash pit2 of the tray 1.

What is claimed is:

1. An ash tray having an ash pit and a rest mounted above and outwardlyof the ash pit, a wheel positioned below said rest and adjacent saidrest and rotatable about a horizontal axis, a thermostatic helixsupported on said wheel in such a position so that the central verticalplane of the wheel is coplanar with the longitudinal axis of said restand having one end anchored to said tray and having the other endsecured to said wheelat a point on the periphery of the wheelsubstantially opposite from said one end anchored to said tray.

2. An ash tray having an ash pit and a rest mounted above and outwardlyof the rest, a wheel positioned below said rest and adjacent said ashpitand rotatable about a horizontal axis, a thermostatic helix supportedon said Wheel in such a position so that the central vertical plane ofthe wheel is coplanar with the longitudinal axis of said rest and havingone end anchored to said tray and having the other end secured to saidwheel at a point on the periphery of the wheel substantially oppositefrom said one end anchored to said tray, and a Weight eccentricallydisposed on and carried by said wheel.

3. An ash tray having an ash pit and a rest mounted above and outwardlyof the rest, a wheel positioned below said rest and adjacent said ashpit and rotatable about a horizontal axis, a thermostatic helixsupported on said wheel in such a position so that the central verticalplane of the wheel is coplanar with the longitudinal axis of said restand having one end anchored to said tray and having the other endsecured to said wheel at a point on the periphery of the wheelsubstantially opposite from said one end anchored to said tray, and aguard plate disposed over the portion of said wheel adjacent the ash pitto deflect ash from a burning cigarette into the ash pit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,044,802 Marihart June 23, 1936 2,229,953 Ayres June 28, 1941 2,246,690Leonard June 24, 1941 2,300,764 Ayres Nov. 3, 1942

